🎙️ In this episode of The Fashion Translator, I spoke with Melissa Dusenberry, Founder and Creative Director of All The Brilliants, about what it means to buy jewelry with intention — and why so much of the industry has made that genuinely difficult to do.
Melissa began her career as an art director in advertising, moved to Paris to find something more personally fulfilling, and discovered the jewelry world through a private high jewelry club for high-net-worth women in London. What she found there — a mix of deep history, ethical opacity, and almost no guidance for the conscious consumer — became the foundation for everything she built after.
All The Brilliants is a fine jewelry concierge built around a simple idea: that a piece of jewelry should feel uniquely meant for the person wearing it, carry the stories of where it came from, and be something that passes meaning — not just value — to the next generation.
We explore:
Why jewelry is one of the most powerful archives of human history — and what that means for the pieces we choose to own today
How Melissa guides clients through selecting pieces that align with their aesthetic, their values, and their responsible sourcing principles
Greenwashing in the jewelry industry: why most consumers don’t know it’s happening, and the three questions that cut through the marketing language
The jewelry inventory guide — why documenting the emotional story behind each piece matters as much as the financial appraisal
What happens to family pieces when the stories behind them vaporize — and why the uncomfortable conversations about succession are best had at the happiest moments
Where AI fits in a deeply personal, human-first business — and why Melissa’s superpower is precisely what algorithms can’t replicate
The financial value of a piece is only half of what it holds. The other half is the story — and that’s the part that gets lost when no one thinks to preserve it.
✨ Connect with Claire Lys to explore how AI, systems, and innovation can support fashion brands — or to be featured on The Fashion Translator:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-lys-bastien-wald/
🎁 Melissa is offering listeners complimentary access to her Jewelry Inventory Guide — a tool that helps you capture both the financial and emotional value of your collection, and the stories behind each piece.
→ https://mailchi.mp/allthebrilliants.com/inventory-guide
Guest:
👤 Melissa Dusenberry
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msdusenberry/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadusenberry/
Brand:
🌐 All The Brilliants
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthebrilliants/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/all-the-brilliants/
